Clamped c-spring power plant mounting



Dec. 8, 1936. R. s. VI'ROTT ET AL I 'CLAMPED C-SPRING POWER PLANT MOUNTING Filed May 27, 19:53

Patented Dec. 8, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLAIWPED (l-SPRING POWER, PLANT MOUNTING Application May 27, 1933, Serial No. 673,290

2 Claims.

This invention has to do with engine unit mountings and more especially with such mountings which provide a certain amount of movement between the engine unit and its support 5 or frame, by which movement, vibration, or tremor and also sound is prevented from being appreciably transmitted from the engine unit to the support or frame.

This invention more specifically is called a clamped C-spring engine mounting and was executed at the same time and filed at the same time as our two co-pending and supplementary applications, which are entitled respectively, Eyed C-spring engine mounting, Serial No. 673,289, filed May 27, 1933, and Torque spring engine mounting, Serial No. 673,288, filed May 27, 1933.

These three applications are all for metallic constructions to mount an engine unit so resiliently as to largely prevent the transmission of sound to the rest of the vehicle, which sound deadening is accomplished in all three cases by providing resiliently opposed movement in any direction along which the operation of the engine unit may apply a varying sound transmitting force.

In addition to this sound deadening duty, the structures covered by these three applications are intended to cushion all engine operating forces including those due to mass movement and those due to torque so that there will be substantially no perceptible tremor in the vehicle at any speed or under any operating condition.

In addition to these two duties, the structures covered by these three applications act to resiliently oppose endwise movement of the engine unit against inertia forces when the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating and also against clutch dis-engaging forces. I I

We have found in our research work that the relative vertical, horizontal, and torque resisting ability of a mounting should vary as conditions vary and that a great range of constructions may be needed to choose from to enable a mechanic or engineer to perfectly smooth out certain rough periods in the engine unit he may be working with. Some of the rough periods we have found are at 2 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 20, "24', 30, 32, 42, 48 and 52 miles per hour. These depend upon the characteristics of the engine unit and its mountings. The same construction that smooths out one period may smooth out most of the others, but it might be that one or two troublesome periods are met with that will require, for best results, a certain combination of the constructions shown in one, two or all three of these co-pending and supplementary applications. There are not only accelerating, but also decelerating rough periods, which may require separate treatment for their proper elim- 5 ination. For this reason, a great many variations in mounting contructions are shown which may broadly appear to be the same, but which from the standpoint of results may be very importantly different. For instance, one engine had a twenty-mile and also a seventeen-mile period. It required a change in the rear mounting to smooth out the twenty-mile period, and a change in the support of the exhaust'pipe to smooth out the seventeen-mile period. Therefore, to give anyone versed in the art a really comprehensive understanding of these metallic mountings, all three applications have not only been executed and filed together, but each refers to the other two.

Heretofore, some of such floating engine or floating power mountings have been composed of Weight-supporting rubber members adjacent the ends of the engine unit, which rubber members are either clamped, vulcanized, bolted, or otherwise held in place so as to provide movable mountings for the engine unit.

Rubber, when confined, is non-compressible, and its resilience'and sound deadening qualities ordinarily come largely from displacement or flow of the rubber. The characteristics of rubber, insofar as resilience and sound deadening is concerned, not only change with the change of composition of the rubber, but they change'as the resistance to flow of the rubber changes. For this reason, in any new design of engine mounting using rubber, trial and error must largely be resorted to in order to provide a mounting which will give the proper results over the entire range of conditions under which the engine unit may be operated. Deterioration of the rubber also prevents permanent and constant results.

In our work with, and experiments upon, various engine unit mountings of the type known as floating power or floating engine mountings, we have found that the rear mounting, if back I of the flywheel, has awide possible variation in constructions which will provide the required performance and which will not transmit noise or engine sensation to the frame. This rear mounting, since it is the less delicate of the two, may properly be employed to resist or to assist in resisting the endwise movement of the engine unit. The rear 'mounting may also resiliently resist torque cushioning oscillation of the engine unit, 55

while permitting a slight amount of resiliently resisted horizontal or vertical or combined, movement in any direction, and While also accommodating for such movements as are provided by the front mounting of the engine unit. But whether the rear mounting is back of the flywheel or not, it must in any case be back of the center of gravity of the engine unit in order to produce a properly stable mounting and one in which one mounting structure does not support too great a proportion of the entire weight with the resulting high localized stresses and forces and their results.

The front mounting should mount the front of the engine unit so that it is as delicately poised as possible; that is, so that it may move vertically, horizontally, or in any combined vertical and horizontal direction a slight amount under even slight forces, but beyond such slight amount its movement should be resiliently but strongly resisted.

The front mounting should also provide torque cushioning oscillation in conjunction with the rear mounting, and may combine with the rear mounting in resiliently opposing such oscillation, and may also combine with the rear mounting in resisting endwise movement. Though the front mounting should permit greater transverse movement in any direction than the rear mounting, and should be movable under smaller forces, nevertheless excessive movements of the front of the engine unit in any direction should be so resiliently opposed as to prevent any noise, thud, or feeling of vibration at any time from being transmitted to the frame.

The rear mounting, while providing a less amount of such movements, must nevertheless be able to accommodate for the greater movements of the front end.

As stated above, various forms and designs of front and rear rubber mountings have heretofore been used in the attempt to provide the actions and results required, but all of which are subject to the limitations due to the natural characteristics of rubber.

It is therefore the object of this invention to provide front and rear metallic weight-supporting mountings for an engine unit upon its support or frame whereby these mountings will not be subjected to the limitations provided by rubber.

It is a further object of this invntion to provide a mounting to mount an engine unit movably upon its support, and which is of extremely cheap construction, whereby the production costs of the engine mounting may be low.

It'is a further object of this invention to provide a mounting of extremely good performance characteristics by the exclusive use of metallic mounting means.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such an engine mounting, some or all of the parts of which may be manufactured and sold as separate units.

A further object of this invention is to provide such an engine mounting in which the production assembly labor costs will be low.

Afurther object of this invention is to provide such an engine mounting which, by its novel details of construction, will tend to resiliently maintain the endwise position of the engine unit, while permitting the most delicate force-cushioning quiver of small amplitude of the front end thereof as well as torque cushioning oscillation of small amplitude whileproviding stronger resilient resistance to movements of greater aim plitude.

A further object of this invention is to produce an engine mounting having front and rear metallic constructions which will perform properly when combined respectively with rear and front non-metallic or combined metallic and non-metallic, mountings.

A further object is to provide a method of metallically mounting an engine unit to reduce or prevent the transmission of sound and vibration to the support or frame upon which it is mounted.

Most of the above objects also apply to our two co-pending applications referred to above.

We accomplish the above objects by providing a clamped C-spring mounting in which transversely spaced flat leaf or other cross sectional form of metal springs are constructed and arranged to support weight and at the same time to provide movement in at least two directions, that is, horizontal as Well as vertical movements and also movementsnecessary for the oscillation of the engine unit, which springs have fixed connections with spring seats on the engine unit and frame, said spring seats on the engine unit being arranged at an angle to each other. We use the term clamped C-spring broadly to cover both leaf and Wire springs regardless of cross sectional contour so formed as to provide the above-mentioned movements while attached to both engine unit and chassis by clamping as distinctive from a pivotal attachment.

All of the above is more fully described in detail hereinafter and is fully illustrated in the drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a plan view of a power plant mounted by our clamped C-spring mounting.

Figure 2 is a side view of Figure 1, in partial section.

Figure 3 is a front elevation partly inv section showing a front mounting for the engine unit, embodying this invention. 7

Figure 4 is a similar View showing a different form of front mounting.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view partly in elevation showing a rear mounting in accordance with this invention.

Figure 6 is a similar view of a fragmentary portion of rear mounting structure embodying this invention.

Figure 7 is a similar view showing a further modification thereof; and

Figure 8 is a detail side elevation partly in section showing one of the front mounting springs applied.

The constructions of these various figures will now be described more in detail as follows:-

In Figures 1 and 2 the engine unit I having the flywheel IA and the center of gravity G is mounted upon the frame 2 by the clamped 0- spring front mounting 3 and the clamped 0- spring rear mounting 4, which combine to provide an axis of oscillation X-X. As shown, the axis XX passes through the center of gravity G, though this need not necessarily be the case. In this form, the front and rear mountings combine to resiliently resist endwise movement as Well as torque cushioning oscillation. The torque springs 5, 6, 1, 1', 8, 9, l0, and II are properly attached to the engine unit and connected tothe frame. Any one or all, or any combniation of any or all, of these torque springs and their positions, or any other position or positions may be employed as desired with the constructions shown in Figures 1 and 2 or with any other combinations of constructions shown in this or in either of our two other co-pending applications mentioned before. The front mounting 3 is carried by the cross frame member 12 and the rear mounting 4 is carried by the cross frame member l3.

In Figure 3, the engine unit I is carried at the front by plain clamped C-springs 50 upon a pedestal 63, which in turn is carried by the frame member 64, which springs 50 are seated at 50' on the engine unit, and on the top of the pedestal member 63. It will be noted that the seats 50' are arranged at an acute angle to each other, in order to provide greater flexibility in the spring mounting giving a curvature in the springs greater than 180.

In Figure 4, the engine unit I is supported at the front by a pair of plain clamped O-springs 44 upon a frame cross-member 45 of the frame 2, the springs 44 being transversely located so as to be attached to the engine unit in angular relations, but being of different elongations.

Figure 5 shows the invention adapted for use as a rear mounting in which the rear portion of the engine unit I is mounted upon a crossframe member 22 by means of clamped C-springs- 23 which are attached to bosses 24 on. the transmission 25 of the engine unit in order to locate and support the engine unit and to provide the proper degree of resilience therein. This rear mounting structure is located not only rearwardly of the center of gravity G in Figure 2, but also rearwardly of the flywheel IA.

It will be evident from Figure 6 that the springs need not be mounted on a transversely extending frame member inasmuch as the springs l8 in Figure 6 are shown as secured to the frame side members [9 therein.

In the modified form of rear mounting shown in Figure 7, the rear of the engine unit I is formed with an enlarged trunnion carried in a split bearing member IB, the lower half of which is supported on the clamped c-springs 4 attached to lugs l4 of the split bearing and carried by cross frame member l3. Flanges I6 on the bearing member IB position the same longitudinally and acting through the springs 4 hold the latter locating the engine unit longitudinally, vertically and horizontally with respect to the crossmember [3. In this construction the clamped c-springs 4 do not take any of the torque. If

positioned transversely, they may be placed if desired at any desired angle or parallel with the longitudinal axis of the engine unit or at any desired height with respect thereto, as shown in Figure 8, in which the C-springs 39 are twisted and mounted upon frame cross member 40. In this arrangement, the springs 39 extend approximately parallel with the axis of the engine unit and the ends are shown as twisted with respect to the loop which changes the relative vertical and transverse strength of the springsas well as their resistance to torque cushioning oscillation.

If desired, the clamped G-springs may be used either at the front or at the rear of the engine unit or both, and when used only at one point they may be combined with any well-known or other form. of engine mounting, such for instance as the common rubber mounting employed heretofore, and which accommodates for oscillatory and transverse movements of the engine unit.

Having now described our clamped G-spring power plant or engine unit mounting, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is as follows:--

1. In a motor vehicle having a frame structure, the combination of an engine unit, means mounting said engine unit in the vehicle, said mounting means including a pair of transversely extending metallic leaf-springs yieldable in all transverse directions and having fixed connections with spring seats on the engine unit and with the frame structure and curved through an are greater than 180 therebetween, said spring seats being arranged at an angle to each other.

2. In a motor vehicle having a frame structure, the combination of an engine unit, means mounting said engine unit in the vehicle, said mounting means including a pair of transversely spaced metallic leaf-springs yieldable in all transverse directions and having fixed connections with spring seats on the engine unit and with the frame structure and curved through an are greater than 180 therebetween, said spring seats on the engine unit being arranged in different planes.

ROLLAND S. TROTT. BENJAMIN A. SWENNES. KAY MILLER. 

